Gasometer.



PATENTBD SBBT.15,1903.

N. GOODYEAR;

GASOMETER. ABPLIOATIOK rmin 001a. 1001.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES NELSON GOODYEAR, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOJ. B. COLT PATENT OFFICE.

(30., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GASOM ETE R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,258, dated September 15, 1903.

Original application filed June 24, 1901, Serial No. 65,811. Divided and this application filed October 8, 1901. Serial No. 77,349. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON GOODYEAR, of Flushing, Long Island, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gasometers, (Case J,) of

which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings.

This specification is a division of my application, (Case A,) filed June 24, 1901, Se-

ro rial No. 65,811.

The objects of this invention are to improve the gas-holder and gas-drier of gas-generatorsand to provide a special trap therefor;

The invention is especially applicable to :5 acetylene-generators which have expansible gas-holders connected with the generatingchamber.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cross section through the gas-holder. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the plane 3 3 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal cross-sections on the planes 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of Fig. 1.

As certain details of the gas-generating devices are fully and at length explained in the parent application above referred to, the de- 'scription of this invention will be confined to a clear explanation of the gas-holder, trap therefor, and the connections.

The gas generated passes through the gaspipe 83 to the gasometer, the gas-pipe terminating in a downward-opening Water-sealed mouth 84, formed by the depending apron 85, secured in the trapin the base ofthe gas- 5 holder, as shown in Fig. 1. The gas rises upward, as indicated by the arrows, into the expansible chamber of the gasometer.

Within the expansion-chamber is located a drying vessel 88, freely open at the bottom 40 and closed above,.except for the gas-outlet pipe 89, and filled with any suitable drying material supported on grids or screens, as-

shown.

The gas passes up through the drying material to reach the gas-service pipe 89; but any excess of gas may pass freely up around the drying-chamber 88 to raise the bell instead of having to force its way through the drying material. This is important, as it gives direct opportunity to the gas generated in the generator to escapequickly into the gas-holderand to react upon the bell and con trol the generation.

A telescopic safety blow-off is provided, consisting of a fixed pipe 90, suitably connected at 91 to lead off the escaping gas, and of a depending sealing-sleeve 92, which rises and falls with the gas-bell 20.

Within the base of the gas-holder and in free communication with the atmosphere by means of the pipe 91 there is a water-sealed chamber 93, preferably of larger horizontal area than the water-holding spaces in communication with it, that seals the mouth 84 of the gaspipes 83. The water -sealed Walls, which divide the space 93 from the commu nicating chambers at either side of it, project down beneath the normal level of the Water sufficiently to insure the normal sealing of the gas; but an excess of pressure within the gasometer will force the waterlevels of smaller area outside of the chamber 93 down, so that the gas may escape freelyinto the chamber 93 and thence through the pipe 91 to the atmosphere. When, however, pressure is reduced in the generator by drawing out the water therein or for any other cause, the water rises within the space 84, which forms the mouth of the gaspipe 83, and completely seals the gasometer, 8o preventing any flow of gas from the gasometer toward the generating-chamber. The relatively greater Water area within the space 93 permits the water to rise to a considerable height in the gas-pipe 83 without depleting 85 or greatly lessening the depth in the space 93 or the seal of the gasometer. All the pipes 83 89 9O drain into this water-seal trap at the base of the gasometer. An overflow in the form of a U-tube 96 allows the excess of wa- 90 I I ter to flow out from the seal or trap.

In addition to the reasons heretofore outlined there are two other reasons for making the area of thespace 93 very large in proportion to the areas of the compartment 84 and 95 the other compartment formed by the apron 85, which communicates with the gasometer, this other compartment being hereinafter called the intermediate chamber. It is obvious that when gas is first generated a depression of the water in the chamber 84 will take place and a rise of the water in the chamber 93, which might result in raising the water up to the air-outlet 91 and choking said pipe, at the same time causing an overflow through the overflow-pipe 96. The pressure in the generator would be backed up very considerably, because of the fact that the water would be retarded from flowing from the compartment 84., and hence the water-level in the compartment 84 could not sink rapidly. Access to the gasometer-chamber would therefore be cutoff, causing the pressure in the generator to back up.

According to the construction and arrangement shown it will be seen that the water in the compartment 84: may assume different levels without materially affecting the level of the water in the compartment 93. The second object is to prevent the gas in the gasometer from bubbling back beneath the partition and into the generator when the pressure in the generator is reduced, as when it is open to atmospheric pressure to start, by charging in carbid. If the chambers 84: and 93 are of nearly the same area, then when the generator is open to atmospheric pressure the water in the compartment 84 would rise up about the same amount that the water in the chamber 93 would fall, and the pressure in the gasometer being always greater than the atmosphere the gas 'would bubble under the partition 85 and up into the compartment 8%. On the other hand, if, as shown in the drawings, the chamber 84 is very small in area relatively to the chamber 93 the water in the compartment Set will always be suliiciently high to prevent the bubbling back of the gas.

The following-en umerated features I desire to claim as the characteristic features of this invention:

1. A gasometer having an expansible gaschamber and a gas-inlet pipe leading thereto, a gas-drying vessel open at one part, and a gas-outlet pipe leading from a part of the said drying vessel remote from said open part, said gas-inlet delivering the gas freely into the said chamber, whereby the gas in expanding the gasometer may pass directly intoit, and when the gasometer is contracting the gas may flow from the gas-chamber through the drying vessel, and normally some of the gas may flow directly from the gas-inlet pipe through the drying vessel to the outlet-pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. A gasometer having an expansible gaschamber and a gas-inlet pipe leading the gas into said chamber, a gas-drying vessel mounted within the said chamber and open at one part, and a gas-outlet pipe leading from a part of the said drying vessel remote from said open part, said gas-inlet delivering the gas freely into the said chamber, the gas in expanding the gasometer passing directly into said chamber and, when the gasometer is contracting, the gas passing from the gasometerchamber through the drying vessel, and some of the gas normally flowing directly from the gas-inlet pipe through the drying vessel to the outlet-pipe, substantially as set forth.

3. A gasometer having, a gas-chamber, a water-seal chamber provided with walls extending down into and sealed by the water in said chamber and dividing the space above the water into at least three compartments, one a gas-inflow chamber, and provision for the passage of the gas from said inflow-chamber to one of the other chambers which communicates with the gas-chamber of the gasometer, the third chamber communicating with the atmosphere, the water area of said third chamber being very large in comparison with the others, for substantially the purposes set forth.

4. A gasometer having a gas-chamber, a water-seal chamber provided with walls extending down into and sealed by the water in.

said chamber and dividing the space above the water into at least three compartments, one a gas-inflow chamber, and provision for the passage of the gas from said inflow-chamber to one of the other chambers which communicates with the gas-chamber of the gasometer, the third chamber communicating with the atmosphere, the water area of said inflow-chamber being greatly less than the water area of the others, forsubstantially the purposes set forth.

5. A gasometer having a reservoir and provided with a water-seal chamber divided into at least three main compartments all watersealed, one being a gas-inflow chamber and anothercommnnicating with the atmosphere, there being provision for the passage of the gas from the gas-inflow chamber to the third water-seal chamber which communicates with the gas-reservoir of the gasometer, for substantially the purposes set forth.

6. A gasometer having a reservoir and provided with a water-seal chamber divided into at least three main compartments all watersealed, one being a gas-inflow chamber and another communicating with theatmosphere, there being provision for the passage of the gas from the gas-inflow chamber to the third water-seal chamber which communicates with the gas-reservoir of the gasometer, the water area of the chamber communicating with the atmosphere being very large in comparison with the others, for substantially the purposes set'forth.

Signed this 1st day of October, 1901, at New York, N. Y.

NELSON GOODYEAR. Witnesses:

E. VAN ZANDT, HAROLD BINNEY. 

